Resource Library

EdTech governance should not belong to one department. It should be a districtwide responsibility supported by clear leadership, defined decision rights, and a shared system for managing every technology product throughout its lifecycle. For years, school districts have often treated educational technology as primarily an IT concern. Technology teams were…

A new school year brings new tools, new requests, new contracts—and often, the same old spreadsheets. For many K-12 technology leaders, spreadsheets have become the unofficial system of record for managing EdTech. One spreadsheet tracks software. Another tracks contracts and renewals. A third may track AI tools. Someone else maintains…

Artificial intelligence will enter schools this year through more than new, stand-alone tools. Teachers will experiment with generative AI platforms. Students will encounter AI-powered learning experiences. Departments will use AI to improve productivity. Vendors will continue adding AI features to products districts already own—sometimes without calling attention to how those…

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday teaching and learning. Educators are using AI to brainstorm lessons, create instructional materials, personalize activities, provide feedback, and save time on administrative work. But a tool that is easy to access is not necessarily approved—or appropriate—for classroom use. Before using a new AI…

The first weeks of a new school year can overwhelm even the most prepared district technology team. New employees need access to systems. Returning staff members forget passwords or struggle to locate familiar resources. Teachers want to know which tools are approved, how to use them, and where to get…

A new school year brings new employees, new students, new instructional priorities—and often, new technology. Before classrooms fill and support requests begin pouring in, districts have an opportunity to make sure their EdTech ecosystem is ready. That means looking beyond whether applications are technically available. Employees also need to know…

Summer may feel quieter across a school district, but technology teams know it is anything but slow. While classrooms are less active, district leaders are preparing devices, reviewing contracts, updating systems, supporting summer programs, and getting ready for the new school year. It is also one of the best opportunities…

EdTech governance is the process of ensuring every technology tool aligns with district goals, instructional priorities, compliance requirements, budget constraints, and operational standards. It answers critical questions such as: Why are we using this tool? Who approved it? Does it align with curriculum goals? Is student data protected? What contracts…

Artificial intelligence is no longer approaching K-12 education. It has already arrived. Not gradually. Not cautiously. And certainly not in a way that districts can fully control through traditional approval processes and technology committees alone. Across the country, teachers are experimenting with AI-powered lesson planning tools. Students are using generative…

In today’s environment of shrinking budgets, expanding digital tools, and increasing accountability, the question is no longer “what are we using?”—it’s “what are we governing?” These five questions are designed to help district leaders quickly assess whether their edtech ecosystem is strategic…or simply growing unchecked.   Do we have a…

Across industries, the data is clear: building complex software systems in-house is expensive, time-consuming, and risky. But in K–12 education, those challenges are even more pronounced. School districts aren’t just dealing with typical IT project hurdles—they’re operating within a completely different set of constraints. And those constraints make internal development…

Governance Doesn’t End at Approval Approving a digital tool is only the beginning. For many districts, the real challenge starts after a contract is signed: When does it renew? Is it still being used? Are we compliant with terms and data agreements? Who owns the relationship? Without a structured approach,…

Governance Doesn’t Happen Without Process Most school districts don’t struggle because they lack policies—they struggle because those policies aren’t consistently followed. Tool requests come through emails, side conversations, or urgent needs in the classroom. Approvals happen informally. Documentation is incomplete. The result?Inconsistent decisions, increased risk, and limited accountability. That’s where…

In today’s school districts, managing digital tools is no longer just an IT function—it’s a governance challenge. With hundreds (sometimes thousands) of applications in use across classrooms, districts are under increasing pressure to ensure tools are secure, effective, compliant, and financially responsible. Yet many are still relying on spreadsheets, disconnected…

K-12 Leaders are currently balancing growing digital ecosystems, flat or shrinking budgets, increased privacy and compliance requirements, and pressure to show ROI on instructional technology…yet the leadership team is managing tools in disconnected ways. Without a governance system, spending becomes fragmented, leadership lacks a single source of truth, risk increases…

Much evidence suggests that spending in K-12 edtech (especially in the U.S.) has slowed or “halted” relative to past pandemic-era growth, and there are several clear drivers behind it. Rapid emergency-driven spending – as federal emergency relief funds provided a large influx of money to adopt tech for remote and…

Executive Summary Despite major strides in classroom innovation—1:1 devices, adaptive software, learning management systems—the backbone of many K‑12 systems remains mired in outdated, fragmented operational processes. Purchase orders still travel via paper or email, contract renewals are invisible at best, and decisions stall for lack of real-time data. District leaders…

Let’s break down the core cycle of continuous optimization in detail. Think of it as a structured loop that helps K-12 schools continually refine their digital ecosystem so that software stays effective, compliant, and financially sustainable. Review Purpose: Collect evidence to evaluate whether tools are delivering value. Key Steps: Usage…

Policy updates around procurement, renewals, and sunsetting are often “hidden levers” that determine whether change in K-12 schools is sustainable. From Reactive Purchases to Strategic Procurement Traditionally, schools buy tools reactively—responding to teacher requests, vendor pitches, or urgent needs. Updated procurement policies shift this to a strategic process: Purchases are…

When you’re ready to begin evolving policies and strategies around sustainable edtech/digital tool management, the roadmap should consist of: Assessment: Full Inventory and Usage Audit Policy & Process Alignment Technology Enablement Continuous Optimization The final two blogs in this series will highlight Technology Enablement and Continuous Optimization. Here’s a step-by-step…

Key components in evolving K-12 technology management are governance, ownership, and collaboration (and this expands beyond the technology department). Consider the following: Cross-Department Governance Team: Form an “Application Oversight Committee” with IT, curriculum, finance, and legal representatives to review inventory quarterly. Application Owners: Assign a designated owner for each app…

The shift from ad-hoc purchasing toward strategic governance is essential for ensuring both fiscal responsibility and educational quality. In this next blog, we’ll focus on lifecycle tracking, managing and optimizing costs. Priority #3: Lifecycle Tracking and Cost Optimization In summary: Contract & Renewal Tracking: Store contract start/end dates in the…

For K-12 technology management to evolve, coordinated strategies such as centralizing inventory, standardizing procurement, tracking lifecycles, enabling transparency, and more must be in place. The next few blogs in this series will deep dive into practical methods for each. Priority #2: Standardize Procurement & Vetting In summary: Workflow Automation: Use…

For K-12 technology management to evolve, coordinated strategies such as centralizing inventory, standardizing procurement, tracking lifecycles, enabling transparency, and more must be in place. The next few blogs in this series will deep dive into practical methods for each. Priority #1: Establish a Centralized Application Inventory In summary: Application Registry/Database:…

Here’s how unvetted classroom and “free” apps create real compliance and privacy exposure in K-12—and what to watch for. This blog is the fifth in a multi-part series that addresses the current state of K-12 digital tool management and offer recommendations emphasizing that the shift from ad-hoc purchasing toward strategic…

Ever wonder why you’re over budget when nothing new was purchased? Let’s address why subscription licensing makes K-12 costs creep up—even when you’re not “adding” new tools. This blog is the fourth in a multi-part series that will address the current state of K-12 digital tool management and offer recommendations…

This blog is the third in a multi-part series that will address the current state of K-12 digital tool management and offer recommendations emphasizing that the shift from ad-hoc purchasing toward strategic governance is essential for ensuring both fiscal responsibility and educational quality.  Here’s the blunt truth: licenses go unused…

Introduction: Over the past decade, K-12 school systems have seen rapid growth in digital learning tools, administrative applications, and educational software. This expansion has improved instructional delivery, engagement, and efficiency, but has also created operational and financial complexity. The next phase requires coordinated strategies for centralized software management, streamlined procurement,…

Introduction: Over the past decade, K-12 school systems have seen rapid growth in digital learning tools, administrative applications, and educational software. This expansion has improved instructional delivery, engagement, and efficiency, but has also created operational and financial complexity. The next phase requires coordinated strategies for centralized software management, streamlined procurement,…

Technology Management Systems Why it matters: Without a central system, technology is fragmented and reactive. With one, schools gain visibility, efficiency, and confidence. Streamlines operations – reduces friction and frees educators from administrative headaches. Enables instructional agility – teachers adopt new strategies knowing tools will work reliably. Drives evidence-based decisions…

Every day, school districts make countless decisions about technology—approving new apps, renewing software licenses, storing sensitive student data. But far too often, these decisions happen without full visibility, consistency, or control. And that’s a growing problem. The Risks You Can’t Afford to Ignore Across the country, districts are facing serious…

In K-12 today, most stakeholders (in any size educational institution) note disparate systems, inconsistent processes, and redundant requests as primary factors for the overwhelming sentiment around onboarding digital tools. This brief guide offers examples and actionable takeaways for consistency, compliance, and collaboration in onboarding educational technologies (edtech)…and these tactics can…

Managing the onboarding and offboarding of digital tools has become a daunting task for educational institutions as technology teams aim to enable school purchasing autonomy while protecting student data. From purchasing systems that produce the same results (redundancy) to unintended contract renewals, many challenges are present throughout the life cycle.…

Many factors, including the loss of ESSER funds, are impacting budgets in our educational institutions today, resulting in staff turnover or transition, purchasing freezes, and non-renewal of edtech tools. Despite such loss, the stakes are higher than ever before. It’s a critical time to pivot the mindset from “there’s no…

You’ve determined your district or campus needs a technology management system and successfully gained buy-in with a strong business case, so what’s next? With the greatest challenge – the budget – still ahead, you’ll need to thoroughly prepare for common objections and perhaps present new budgeting strategies not previously considered.…

If your district or campus is considering a new technology management system and you’ve engaged the appropriate stakeholders, the next step is preparing the business case. Skipping the first step could be a costly mistake if you attempt to build your case without interviewing others and capturing every problem the…

Is your district or campus considering a new technology management system? Like any new edtech purchase, the process of researching, validating, and acquiring a system – that involves many stakeholders – can be long and convoluted. With the right strategies in place, you can avoid common roadblocks and navigate a…

Words like “management system”, “automation”, and “workflows” can be intimidating and often perceived as costly. Instead of learning and adapting to these concepts and technologies, it can be easier to avoid the risk and give in to self-doubt and myths often associated with adopting anything new. A technology management system…

The act of approving and acquiring new technologies in K-12 school districts today is a convoluted mess of forms, emails, and broken or ignored processes. Admittedly, a “process” is, unfortunately, non-existent in many. Most of this burden has fallen into the hands of the Technology Director since the technology team…

Back in 2019, Glimpse K-12 shared a staggering statistic suggesting two-thirds of software licenses were unused in K-12 schools. Along came COVID-19, and “access to, and the use of, digital tools increased so quickly, and to such large extent, that adoption was haphazard, lacked structure and resulted in a number…

Researching, evaluating, and purchasing the right educational technologies can be a daunting and exhaustive process for school districts – with curriculum and technology leaders carrying the weight of the burden. Selecting software solutions that drive accountability, student outcomes, and teacher success while ensuring data security, compliance, and integration with current…

This guest post was authored by Dr. Kecia Ray and originally posted by CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 – 6:51pm.   Sometimes, timing is everything.  Recently I found myself talking with an edtech leader who had just purchased technology that didn’t end up working the…

This post is from guest blogger Amber Lindsay, President & CEO of iKeepSafe. iKeepSafe is a trusted partner of Veracity Verification Solutions.    This past year presented an array of unique challenges and opportunities, when over 40 million K12 students moved to some form of distance learning and more than 30…

In partnership with CoSN (Consortium for School Networking), a recent roundtable of experienced educators, edtech strategists, and industry thought leaders gathered to discuss the greatest disconnect in edtech and K-12 today. Members from various backgrounds shared insights and recommendations for building trust and instilling confidence with buyers to improve the…

The EdTech Landscape: A sea of offerings  Assessing instructional needs, discovering products in the market, and evaluating these products for best fit have been recognized by organizations such as Digital Promise as top challenges within school districts for many years. Among these challenges, educators must navigate a sea of EdTech offerings -…

As marketers, we spend countless hours tending to customer advocacy initiatives to build our products’ reputation through peer reviews, testimonials, case studies, etc. Today’s buyers can quickly and easily gather information independently via digital channels, meaning our sales teams have fewer opportunities to influence customer decisions and our reputation tactics are more important than ever. In fact, according to Gartner “…when B2B buyers are considering…

The following post is written by guest blogger Jim Yurasits, Director of Testing, Data, and School Improvement at Orange County Public Schools (VA).   I have been working in public education for 34 years as both a teacher and an educational administrator. During that time, I have had to decide which software to…

The quest to identify, evaluate, and select the appropriate education technology solutions to meet district needs is a daunting one, to say the least. Many resources are invested, and unfortunately, purchases made do not always produce the desired results. Like any other technology investment, buyers expect value realization and often…